May 23, 2019
The U.S. News and World Report – Lauren Camera
“Barbourville, a sleepy Kentucky town of about 3,000 people situated in the Appalachian Mountains some three hours southeast of Louisville alongside the Daniel Boone National Forest, is a higher education desert. The town boasts one four-year private college, Union College, where the majority of students enroll to pursue teaching or nursing careers. But with a 30% graduation rate and an average annual salary after graduation of $32,000, the school does little to push upward the median family income in the town. The closest community college is about 45 minutes away.” (more)
May 22, 2019
Language Magazine – Staff Writer
“A new survey, released today, calls attention to the serious foreign language skills gap in the U.S. workforce. The report, “Making Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers,” shows the critical demand in the U.S. economy for multilingual employees, providing the most comprehensive look at the value of foreign language to date.” (more)
May 22, 2019
KQED News Mind/Shift – Deborah Farmer Kris
“Suzuki encourages people to think about the brain like a muscle. Exercise strengthens both the prefrontal cortex (which is involved in executive functioning) and the hippocampus (which plays a key role in memory and learning). In this way, exercise supports our ability to think creatively, make decisions, focus and retrieve key information. In her research, Suzuki found a single workout can improve a student’s ability to focus on a task for up to two hours.” (more)
May 22, 2019
The Week – Rosie Colosi
“If you had asked me when I was growing up what reading to my future children would be like one day, I would have described something akin to the cover image from my gold-edged copy of Little Women, showing Marmee reading a letter from Mr. March with her four daughters snuggled around her. And if you understand even part of that reference, you know exactly how big a book-loving school nerd I am.” (more)
May 22, 2019
Ed Surge – Stephen Noonoo
“Computational thinking is one of the biggest buzzwords in education—it’s even been called the ‘5th C’ of 21st century skills. While it got its start as a way to help computer scientists think more logically about data analysis, lately it’s been catching on with instructors in a diverse number of subjects—from science to math to social studies. One reason for its emerging popularity? It’s engaging.” (more)
May 22, 2019
Edutopia – Holly Korbey
“Williams’s pursuit of new training is becoming more common among educators who have found that what they’ve learned about reading science is limited or downright incorrect—especially when it comes to dyslexia, a disorder that affects one in every five children. Though it is the most commonly reported learning disability, misinformation and myths run rampant among the general population and even bleed into schools. Most commonly, people believe that people with dyslexia transpose or invert letters when reading, when actually it’s a sound-based processing disorder.” (more)
May 22, 2019
Edutopia – John McCarthy
“Schools need to prepare students with the global professional skills (GPS) that will give them a competitive edge when navigating the expanded opportunities that are available today. The task is deceptively simple: helping students build skills like communication, collaboration, creativity, problem solving, empathy, perseverance, and growth mindset.” (more)
May 21, 2019
The Ladders – Richard Watts
“How can I sit back and watch my adolescent or teenage children struggle? Especially when I have the solution to their problem. Is there a benefit to my child discovering their own life direction independent of me? Am I taking something away from them if I provide a few shortcuts? Is there anything wrong with being “best friends” with my kids? If you have ever asked yourself these questions, read on. You may be surprised by the answers!” (more)
May 21, 2019
Wired – Daniel Ramirez Perez
“In this hyper-personalized, autoplaying, all-you-can-eat mediascape, it helps to distinguish the healthy stuff from the junk. Fortnite? Probably not a great form of screen time. Video chatting with grandma? What family-unifying wonders hath Jobs wrought! Screen time, then, has become a slippery concept. Does typing a paper in Google Docs count? What about using a mapping app? Fortunately, researchers are beginning to study screen-based media in all its forms, instead of just lumping everything together like they used to. Some types of screen fare are like sugar: Limit consumption, especially before bedtime, and watch for signs of overindulgence—obesity, aggression, grade slippage. Others are more like proteins and veggies: Make sure kids get a balanced diet that includes exercise, IRL socializing, snoozing, and yes, screens. Above all, though, know thy child—some kids might be more vulnerable to the latest offering from Epic Games than others.” (more)
May 21, 2019
Language Magazine – Linda Egnatz
“When someone in the language learning field asks, “What is the Seal of Biliteracy?” I might honestly respond, “It’s the ANSWER to your problem.” The simple act of providing a credential for language skills verified through outside testing can meet the following language program needs and so much more:” (more)
